No time for Tears
by Rainbow Moonshine
Summary: Gabriella and Ryan were married.They split up when he joined the army. While he was away, Gabriella started dating Troy. What's Gabriella gonna do when Ryan comes home in the midst of their son plotting to get rid of Troy? ON HIATUS
1. Speed Dating

_There are 20 tables, 40 people. The odds of finding love in speed dating was slim to none. _Gabriella heard the bell ring and it was time to switch tables. She moved over to a man with a black mustache, and a brown hat. He was wearing a green sweater-vest. He was someone she would never go out with.

"Hello, I'm Michael,"he said in a dull tone

"Hi, I'm Gabriella," she was gave up hope of trying to make this fun. Her best friend, Sharpay, had forced her here to 'expand her horizons'. Plus, Sharpay thought Gabriella was that desperate.

Gabriella and Michael had nothing to talk about. They were sitting in awkward silence waiting for the bell to ring.

"Ding!"

Gabriella shot up and switched tables. She sat down at the next table to find a 23 year old man with shaggy brown hair, and a black blazer over a _Sex Pistols_ t-shirt.

"Hey, I'm Troy," he smiled sweetly. He held out his hand for a handshake. He was the pretty boy that Sharpay would fall for and also the rugged, relaxed man that Gabriella would fall for.

"Hi, I'm Gabriella" She took his hand and shook it. Gabriella smiled cutely,without showing her teeth, but showing her dimples. Troy thought it was just adorable.

"So, why are you here?"

"Because my friends think I'm so desperate that they dragged me here." She laughed to herself.

"Bad luck in love?"

"You wouldn't even know"She now was laughing harder."So, enough with that. Have you been to one of their concerts?"

"Huh?" Troy was confused

"Your t-shirt. The _Sex Pistols, _ever been?"

"Oh, yea, they are amazing!" Troy said with excitement in his eyes.

"Yea I know. I only listened to them everyday of my college career. Only way I could study." She smiled. It could have been the most interesting conversation she's had with a man in awhile.

"Ding!" They both opened their mouths to speak when suddenly the bell rang.

A woman with long blond hair and thin legs walked next to Gabriella waiting for her to move. Gabriella looked her up and down and made a quick decision.

"Keep moving Goldilocks" The woman went to the table next her.

"That was very sweet of you" Troy tilted his head.

"That was a breakup waiting to happen. I just saved you some heartbreak." She smiled a sweetly evil smile. Gabriella didn't want anyone flirting with Troy. She felt a real connection with him, it was stronger than anything she has ever felt.

"Thank you, thats very considerate of you." He said sarcastically, but on the inside he was happy she was still there.

"You're very welcome," she said sarcastically back.

"Why don't we leave and get a cup of coffee. There's obviously no one we would rather be with in this room right now." Troy stood up and held out his hand.

"Lets go," Gabriella took his hand and they ran out.


	2. Staying up

Troy and Gabriella stayed on the coffee house for three hours. It was time for closing. It was three hours of non stop talking about their lives.

"We're closing!" One of the baristas called out to Troy and Gabriella. They walked back to Troy's car and drove home. When they reached Gabriella's two room, one bathroom, small kitchen apartment Troy and Gabriella walked up to room 21, Gabriella's apartment.

"Well, here it is," Gabriella let out a small sigh.

"Yep," Troy went up and down on his tippy-toes. There they stood in an awkward stance, until Troy decided to make a move. "Well, I should get going."

"Okay," Gabriella slowly nodded with disappointment. Troy quickly turned and walked a few steps away. Gabriella swiftly turned around to open her door. As soon as she got it open, she felt someone grab her shoulders and turn her around. She became face to face with the man that she thought had just left.

"I forgot something," And took her face in his hands and touched his lips against hers. Troy felt a spark, and he was hoping Gabriella had too. And boy, did she feel one. The kiss was over as quickly as it started.

"Bye," Troy once again walked away leaving a speechless Gabriella for she had nothing to say. There was something there, that she couldn't describe. The girl who's read the entire dictionary, who graduated with a 4.0 and was valedictorian, the girl who dreamed of being a writer, couldn't describe a simple kiss.

She shuffled into her apartment, almost as awkwardly as the moment as silence. She walked to her couch and just sat down. Gabriella stared into space, just smiling when something brought her out of her trance.

"Mommy, Mommy!" A little five year old boy sprinted over to her. He had light blonde hair, and coffee colored eyes. He was wearing Thomas the Train pajama's.

"Hey buddy, why aren't you asleep?" Gabriella asked the little boy.

"I waited 'til you come home" He tried explaining.

"I see that. Where's Auntie Sharpay?" She said referring to her best friend and babysitter for the evening.

"She wait with me." He said as the tall blond walked into the room.

"Oh did she?" Gabriella said as she glared at Sharpay.

"I tried to get him to sleep, but he insisted on staying up until you came home," She tried explaining.

"You should have tried harder." Gabriella likes a certain order in her house, and she likes to have him in bed by nine at the latest.

"Auntie doesn't sing right," He explained as he saw his mom getting mad.

"Alright, say goodbye to Auntie then, go to room. I'll be there in a minute."

"Okay," He nodded, "Bye," He said as he hugged her knees(because he was so short) and skipped to his room.

"I'm really sorry, I tried so hard, but he just kept complaining and crying until I agreed. I was getting a headache and he was loud." Sharpay told her friend honestly.

"It's fine Sharpay, just next time put the CD I told you about on, and he'll be fine." Gabriella explained. Every night her son would ask her to sing this song, and she would sing. It was a song that her and her ex-husband sang in a high school musical together. When the boy heard it, he instantly fell in love with it. He keeps insisting that no one can sing it like her and his father.

"Fine, but now that your home, I have to go." Sharpay said and hugged her friend and left. Gabriella quickly made her way into her sons room and found him laying under the covers with a big smile.

"Hey Zac, you ready to sleep now?" She asked the yawning five year old. He only nodded his head and scooted lower until his head was resting on his pillow.

"Yup," He yawned once more.

Gabriella sang the song that Zac wished she would.

_She said, I was seven and you were nine  
I looked at you like the stars that shined  
In the sky, the pretty lights  
And our daddies used to joke about the two of us  
Growing up and falling in love and our mamas smiled  
And rolled their eyes and said oh my my my_

Take me back to the house in the backyard tree  
Said you'd beat me up, you were bigger than me  
You never did, you never did  
Take me back when our world was one block wide  
I dared you to kiss me and ran when you tried  
Just two kids, you and I...  
Oh my my my my

Well, I was sixteen when suddenly  
I wasn't that little girl you used to see  
But your eyes still shined like pretty lights  
And our daddies used to joke about the two of us  
They never believed we'd really fall in love  
And our mamas smiled and rolled their eyes  
And said oh my my my...

Take me back to the creek beds we turned up  
Two A.M. riding in your truck and all I need is you next to me  
Take me back to the time we had our very first fight  
The slamming of doors instead of kissing goodnight  
You stayed outside till the morning light  
Oh my my my my

A few years had gone and come around  
We were sitting at our favorite spot in town  
And you looked at me, got down on one knee

Take me back to the time when we walked down the aisle  
Our whole town came and our mamas cried  
You said I do and I did too  
Take me home where we met so many years before  
We'll rock our babies on that very front porch  
After all this time, you and I

Gabriella was never able to finish the song because they never made it to eighty-nine. Zac thought that this song fit their relationship perfectly. Gabriella and her ex were best friends when they were younger and just grew into a relationship.

They ended their marriage because Ryan wanted to join the army, but Gabriella was so set against it. She didn't want to lose him, and when they had that fight, they realized that they had some issues to work out. Ryan was willing to try to work things out, but Gabriella couldn't be married to someone who's life might end before their time. So, their marriage was over, and Zac never understood why. All he knew was that his mommy and daddy couldn't work out their marriage.

When Gabriella finished, Zac was already asleep. Gabriella didn't like to be out and about when other people aren't, so she headed to bed. She changed out of her jeans and T-shirt and into a pair of flannel pants and tank top. She crawled into bed with happy thoughts of Troy.


	3. Unsuspecting guest

A/N: In case you haven't noticed, I'm redoing the chapters. I also have a Beta Reader and she's really helped. If you haven't read the past chapter, I suggest you do, because a lot has changed, although the plot is exactly the same.

Disclaimer- Don't Own

Chapter 3

The sun hit Gabriella's face early the next morning. She quickly grabbed her pillow and covered her face to hide her eyes from the sun.

"Mommy...rise and shine!!" Zac ran into her room, and crawled on the bed, and jumped up and down.

"No rise..no shine." Gabriella turned her head, and buried it into more pillows.

"Mommy! Breakfast time!!" Zac exuberantly yelled and jumped off the bed with a thud. Then, he proceeded to run into the kitchen and sit at the table, waiting for his mommy to get up and feed him.

Gabriella groaned and got up. She walked into the kitchen, and went to the cupboards. Then grabbed a box of strawberry toaster tarts, and put two in the toaster.

"Breakfast is cooking." She said as she kissed Zac's head. He nodded as the toaster tart, popped up.

"Here you go," She gave him one, and she took the other for herself.

"Stay put," Gabriella said as she left the room to go change into her clothes for work. She grabbed a pair of black pants, a light blue shirt, and a black jacket. She walked back to Zac, and watched him finish his toaster tart. He licked his fingers, but still had crumbs on his face. She wiped them away, and picked him up and brought him to his room.

"Go pick something out." She instructed and he did as he told. He came back with a pair of jeans and a chick magnet shirt that Chad gave him for his 5th birthday. Gabriella thought the shirt was absolutely ridiculous, but that's Chad for you.

"C'mon mommy, lets go!" He grabbed his Spider-man backpack, and her hand, and tugged her out the door.

"Hold up!" She ran back into the kitchen to grabbed her car keys and purse. Then she and Zac left for school.

After dropping off Zac, she had quickly drove to work, realizing the time. Her deadline for her advice column was today. She couldn't afford to lose her job now.

When she arrived in the office, her impatient editor, Mr. Fitzhigin, was waiting for her at her desk.

"Your late." He simply stated, tapping his foot on the ground. She rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, I had to drop Zac off at school." She defended.

"I don't wanna hear about your personal life. I'm not gonna let you of the hook every time you have to drop your son off at school." Mr. Fitzhigin warned. He then turned his back on her and walked away. "Oh, I want that article on my desk at noon." He said over his shoulder, before slamming his door of his office.

"Asshole." Gabriella mumbled, before sitting at her desk and sighed. This was going to be a long day.

She quickly scanned over her desk to see if there were any letters for the day. She ended seeing a large stack of them, and decided to read a few, and take the rest home. The third letter she read caught her eye. It read

'Dear Gabriella,

My husband, is thinking about joining the army. I don't want him to, because we have a 6 year old daughter, and I wouldn't want her to lose her father. I also wouldn't want to lose my potential life mate, but he insists that he'll be all right. I'm thinking that maybe we shouldn't be together anymore, if he thinks he can make this decision without considering my feelings. What do you think?

Sincerely,

Army Wife'

Gabriella thought of how that was exactly what was going through her mind, when Ryan told about his entry in the Army. _Weird._ She thought.

_Gabriella had just gotten home from a long day of work, and picking up Zac from day care. She saw her husband sitting on the red velvet couch with a glum look. Zac ran to his room, for he knew something was wrong, and didn't want to see his daddy sad. She walked over to him and sat down next to him._

_"What's wrong?" She asked, reaching for his hand._

_"I joined the army." He said, not looking his wife in the eye._

_"What? Why?" Gabriella asked completely shocked. This hadn't been something that they talked about._

_"I don't know. It's just something I decided to do." Ryan said, still not looking her in the eye. _

_"So you make these decisions now? We're married, Ryan. This isn't something you just go off and do. We should have talked about this. We should have made a pro con list. You love those pro con lists." She exclaimed and took her hand away from him._

_"I made one." He mumbled to himself._

_"Where is it?" She asked, standing up._

_"In the kitchen." Gabriella walked into the kitchen and found a piece of paper, with writing on the top. She took it, and walked back into the living room, where Ryan was still in the same position he was before. She read them over, reading them right in front of Ryan to give him more guilt._

_She looked up from the paper, showing that she was done reading._

_"When do you leave?" She asked._

_"Two weeks."_

_"Find a place to stay, and get out of my house before you leave." She said, and walked away, leaving Ryan to bask in his now loneliness. She hadn't seen him since._

She spent the rest of the morning reading other advice letters. There were many on breakups and makeups and potential hook-ups. She only answered the ones she thought were important and apply to people all over, that read her column.

It was around noon when she finally dropped of the article on her editors desk. He said that once she dropped off the article she could leave.

She scurried out of the office as her cell phone started to ring. "Hello." She answered without looking at the caller ID.

"Hey." A smooth male voice said.

A smile appeared on her lips. "Hey Troy, whats up?"

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to grab a bite to eat with me?" Troy asked.

"Sure, I would love to, I am on my way home. Pick me up there at around 12:30." Gabriella told him.

"All right, see you then. Bye."

"Bye." Gabriella hung up her phone and dialed Sharpay's number.

"Hello." A high pitched voice of her best friend answered.

"Hey, Sharpay. I could use a favor." Gabriella asked.

"And what may that be?" Sharpay sweetly inquired.

"Could you pick up Zac from school and watch him? I am going out to lunch with a friend." She asked.

"Oh, who is this friend?" Sharpay questioned.

"Just an old friend." Gabriella simply stated, hoping she would drop the subject. She did.

"Oh, okay. Have fun."

"I will." Gabriella answered knowingly. She hung up and hopped into her car.

Gabriella came home with enough time to change into a comfy pair of jeans and a band T-shirt. Just as she finished, there was a knock at the door. _Oh, he's early_. She thought. Expecting it to be Troy she answered the door with a smile on her face.

"Hey Tr-Ryan?"

"Hey Ella. Long time no see." Ryan said as he let himself in. She stood there in stupidity and shock.

"So, where is Zac?" He asked subtly, taking in his surroundings.

"Uh, school, where he is suppose to be." Gabriella choked out. That was all she could manage to say. "What are you doing here?" She questioned.

"I, uh, got back from, um, Iraq." He stumbled with his words.

"Oh, okay." She said. "But what are you doing _here_?"

"I know it's kinda of sudden, but I want to be back in yours and Zac's life. I want us to be a family again." Ryan stated and grabbed her hand. "We were so close and so happy before I left. Can't we be like that again? I would love it, and so would Zac. I know it."

"It's a little late don't you think?" She pulled her hand away from his grasp.

"Knock knock." Troy stated as he pushed the ajar door open.

"Oh, h-hey T-Troy." Gabriella stuttered.

"Who's this?" Troy and Ryan said in unison. They glared at each other with uncertainty.

"Well, um, Troy, Ryan. Ryan, Troy." She introduced vaguely. Just as she introduced them, Sharpay and Zac showed up.

"Daddy!" Zac exclaimed as he dashed into his fathers arms.


	4. I'm Okay With It

Chapter 4

_"Daddy!" Zac exclaimed as he dashed into his fathers arms._

"Hey!" Ryan lifted his son into his arms, and hugged him tight. This had been the first time father and son have seen each other since Ryan left.

_"Where daddy go?" A very young Zac asked his mom while Ryan packed his last bag._

_"He's going away." She tried explaining._

_"Is he coming back?" The youngster said with teared eyes._

_"Maybe," Gabriella said with a sigh. She hadn't known, considering he would be going to war._

_"Okay, that's the last bag." Ryan said as he put the dark green duffel bag by the door. "See you soon, buddy." He said optimistically. He took Zac from Gabriella's arms, and put him in his won. "I'll be back and everything will be alright." Ryan gave him back to Gabriella, and said his last goodbyes. They had never seen or heard from either, since then. _

Troy, and Gabriella stood there startled. Gabriella wasn't expecting any of this happening at all. Troy, was baffled, only because he hadn't known of Zac, or Ryan. It honestly freaked him out.

"Oh boy." Sharpay quietly mumbled from outside the doorway.

"Yeah." Gabriella sighed. She would have some major explaining to do. Although Sharpay is Ryan's brother, she completely agreed with Gabriella. He was wrong to leave his family, and the people that loved him and that he loved.

"Sharpay!" Ryan put Zac down and ran over to his sister, bumping into Troy on the way. They squeezed each other quickly, and then let go.

"Is there something you forgot to tell me?" Troy questioned. Gabriella turned to face him, and looked him in the eye. Sure, he had only known her for two days, but he had also felt a connection. He thought that they had told each other everything. At least, he did.

"Yeah," Gabriella drawled. She was ashamed. She wasn't great to start out with, when Ryan came to visit, but now it was worse.

"What is it?"

"I have a son. And an ex-husband." She explained.

"Oh." Was all Troy could say. He had a million thoughts running through his head. Ryan and Sharpay came back into the the apartment, Ryan's face holding complete joy, and Sharpay's face full of shock, and sorrow.

"Who are you?" Ryan asked, pointing to Troy.

"Troy." Troy reached out his hand, which Ryan shook.

"Ryan." Ryan stated. "And exactly what are you doing here, Troy?"

"He's picking me up for a date." Gabriella said before Troy could.

"Really?"

"Yup," Troy agreed. Ryan gave him a cold, hard stare. They both looked over each other up and down. Neither of them, liked each other, knowing the other was getting in the way of being with Gabriella.

"Okay, so Troy and I are going to leave. Sharpay, watch Zac please. And Ryan, just leave." Gabriella grabbed Troy's hand, and they walked out.

"Well, I'm surprised." Ryan said once Gabriella and Troy left.

"Yeah...me too." Sharpay added. She felt a tug on her pants, and looked down to see little Zac. "What is it sweetie?" She asked as she picked him up.

"Who was that?"

"A friend on mommy's." Sharpay walked away from Ryan, and put Zac in his room. She closed the door, and walked over to where Ryan was still standing.

"Wow, you never listen, do you?"

"What?"

"She told you to leave." She explained.

"You're not mad at me too, are you?" Ryan put on his best puppy dog face on, and looked at his sister.

"Ryan....I love you and all, but what you did was stupid. Especially what you did after you were kicked out. What is wrong with you? You can't expect her to take you back. You left her when she needed you. You had a wife, and a three year old son. Now, it's too late to make amends. She has _finally _moved on. Of, course I'm mad at you. You weren't there for me."

"Why, what's wrong with you?" A flash of concern ran through Ryan's body. Anything that had to do with her, he would go into overdrive mode, and go far to help her out. For instance, the time that she was called the foul names in high school by some prissy cheerleader, he had gone out of his way to make sure the girl never said anything bad ever again. Of course, he wouldn't have hit the girl, but he used some big words, and verbal threats. The cheerleader had transferred schools the next day.

"Let's see what happened to me. Mom and Dad got divorced, one of my best friend's died, my boyfriend cheated on me, I got fired from a job, I think I might be pregnant, and my brother went to Iraq for two years!" Sharpay listed. Ryan's face instantly dropped, at the thought of someone cheating on his sister, and getting her pregnant.

"I hadn't known." Ryan guilty said.

"You would have. Now please, just go." Sharpay pointed the door, and Ryan trudged out the door.

* * *

Silence filled the car, as soon Troy and Gabriella got in. Both were too afraid to say anything, but knew it wouldn't be silent forever.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Troy asked like a puppy that's just been kicked.

"I was afraid." Gabriella looked down at her fidgeting hands.

"Of what?"

"Of loosing you. Do know how hard it is to find a guy that's okay with the fact that you have a five year old. I found you, and you were so...so..._perfect." _She was interrupted by Troy's humble personality.

"Gabriella." He said, objecting to her 'perfect' statement.

"No, you are perfect. You're smart, funny, handsome, sweet, good taste in books and music, and you get me. I wanted to have this relationship. I didn't want to ruin it by scaring you off." Gabriella explained.

"You wouldn't have scared me off." She looked up at him, and he quickly glanced over at her. He took his right hand of the steering wheel, and rested it on her lap. "Having a five year old son doesn't matter to me. I love kids. I do have four younger siblings, remember. He's also pretty cute. It's just that..." Trot trailed off after his heartfelt speech.

"Just what"?" Gabriella worried.

"You do have an ex-husband, who's seems to be threatened. I don't what his deal is, but I got this strange vibe."

"Yeah, Ryan is...he's just...he can seem that way sometimes, but really he wouldn't do anything." Gabriella nodded, and set her hand on top of his. They both smiled and looked to road ahead of them.

"Where are we going?" Gabriella asked as she saw nowhere that she was familiar with. The tall, colorful building's seemed foreign to her.

"My friend owns a restaurant, It's the Best." He explained.

"What's the name?" Gabriella questioned.

"It's the Best." Troy said, while Gabriella furrowed her eyebrows in.

"Excuse me?"

_A tall African American sat on a pale couch, look distraught. "Dude, I need a name by tomorrow, or else I can't get the lease._

_"What about calling it Zeke's?" A short African American woman who was sitting on the recliner next to him, Taylor, suggested._

_"Yeah, because nobodies ever named a restaurant after themselves." Zeke shot back sarcastically._

_"What about just calling it It's the Best?" Troy thought out loud._

_"That could work."_

_"I wasn't serious."_

_"I think it sounds good." Taylor added._

_"Doesn't it sound like he has a really big ego?" Troy questioned._

_"No. Besides, I have no other ideas."_

_"At least, don't make your official name. You can always change it later."_

_"Fine." Zeke has never gotten the chance to change, nor did he want to. _

"Oh...okay." Gabriella accepted the answer. The car came to a stop, and she looked out the window. There a large, brick building, with bright green colored windows. The large sign, in bright red letters read, 'It's the Best'. There were pots of flowers on the windowsill. There was a line of people who were standing outside, waiting for a table.

"It's too busy. I'm hungry, and don't want to wait an hour.

"We won't have to wait." Troy said, as he unbuckled his seatbelt, and stepped out of the car. Gabriella copied him, but a little puzzled. She fallowed him as he pushed past the angry customers, and into the back, where the kitchen is. She saw Troy half-hug an African American man that had a dark blue apron on. His hair was a buzz cut, and his eyes where a deep brown. He wore a friendly smile, that looked like it hadn't been taken off in ages.

"Gabriella, this is Zeke. Zeke, this is Gabriella." She softly waved to him, with a touch of awkwardness.

"It's so good to meet you. You know, Troy never takes his girls here. Actually, he hasn't had a girl in so long. Wow, he actually has a girl to bring. I'm never going to get used to that. My best friend actually has a girlfriend. Unless your not his girlfriend. Then this is really awkward isn't it? I bet-" His rambling was cut off by Troy's elbow in Zeke's gut.

"Zeke tends to talk to much when he's in a kitchen. Or when he's not in a kitchen. He usually just babbles all the time." Gabriella slightly smiled, and nodded.

"It's fine. I know someone like you. She just won't shut up. Actually, she's the blond that brought Zac home."

"Zac" Zeke pried.

"Her son." Troy said, as his jaw tightened. He knew what Zeke would say, as well as the rest of the gang.

"Oh. _Oh_. Well, I'll get Henry to get you your usual table." Zeke walked past the couple, and stopped to talk to a short, white male with crazy red hair. The fellow nodded and walked over to Troy and Gabriella.

"Follow me, and I'll show you your usual table."

"Henry, you've known me three years. I sit at the same table everyday, I think I can find my own way."

"But Zeke told me to-" the young man started to say.

"If Zeke told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?" Troy asked the teen.

"How highs the bridge?" Henry challenged.

"Just show us the table." Troy said giving up. Once Henry led the to the table in the far back corner, with one table that looked spotless.

"What's up with him?"

"He needs money for college, and is always scared he's going to lose job. He thinks everything I say or do is a test."

"You torment him, don't you?" Gabriella probed.

"Only because it's fun." Troy joked as she picked up her menu.

"Wow, just don't do that with my kid, alright. He'd cry for days."

"I wouldn't dare. At least, not until he's older." Troy smirked. Gabriella sighed.

"What can I get you?" A tall brunette with long, straight hair asked.

"My usual, please." Troy said like a true mafia man.

"Whatever he's having."

"Are you sure?" The waitress asked, horror on her face. Troy tried not to laugh, for everyone thought his usual was the most disgusting food ever.

"Yes." Gabriella sighed.

"Alright. I'll be back in a few with your drinks." With that, the waitress left.

"So, what is you usual?" She said with a skeptic look. It's almost as if she just accepted an entry in a wet t-shirt contest.

"You know, you really should have asked before you went ahead and ordered it."


	5. Twenty Questions

A/N- I apologize for taking so long with this chapter. I had originally wrote this last month, but my beta didn't like it, so I add to add a lot. It went from three pages to six pages. So, a bunch of thanks to my beta, SiriusLuver16, she really helped a ton.

Chapter 5

"I cannot believe I ate that!" Gabriella cried as she and Troy got back to her apartment. To get rid of the aftertaste, she had eaten five mints. Still, she could taste her lunch in her mouth.

"_I_ cannot believe you ate that!" Troy agreed, as he leaned on the metal door.

When Zeke had first opened the restaurant, he wanted something original on his menu. Troy had put together a combo in sandwich form, that he had liked. Despite that, when Zeke tried it, he didn't love it nearly as much as Troy had. Still, Troy insisted that somebody would eat it. Nobody had, except Gabriella.

"Why is that your usual?" Gabriella questioned. "It's like...like what I assume being run over by a lawnmower would taste like." She said, with not much exaggeration. She had complained, and made gagging noises the whole way back to her apartment.

"You didn't have to eat the entire thing, you know?"

"But, Zeke made it. If I didn't eat it, I might be making the wrong impression. He'd think I'm a snob. Plus, he might think that I'm screwed up or something, with having a child. I do not want one of your friends' hating me." She said as she got her key out, and unlocked her front door.

"_Here you go." The waitress set down the plates in front of the Troy and Gabriella, and left the table. All of the staff stood by the counter closest to Troy, to see if the unfamiliar girl could actually keep the food down. _

_"Five bucks says she doesn't eat it at all."_

_"Make it ten. And five says she throws it up."_

_"Deal."_

_"So, this looks, um, appetizing." Gabriella claimed hesitantly, as she looked at the sandwich in front of her. It had anchovies, mustard, and olives, all sprinkled on top. Underneath, she could see a mixture of ham, turkey, lettuce, tomato, and tuna. In between the ham and turkey, was a dash of oregano, and a spoonful of guacamole. In between the turkey and bread, was a dollop of mayonnaise. _

_"It is." Troy grabbed his sandwich and took a huge bite. He swallowed it with eagerness. He watched her in amusement as she picked of a little piece, and threw it into her mouth. She grimaced at the taste, but didn't admit it._

_"Good, right?" Troy smiled mischievously, and took another bite._

_"Oh, yeah. Great." She replied sarcastically. An African American girl had started walking over to the couple. She was watching them from the side, and decided that if Troy had finally found a girl, she was going to get to know her._

_"Hey Troy," She said, when she got to the table. Gabriella looked at her nervously, wondering if maybe this was Troy's secret girlfriend._

_"Oh, hey, Taylor." Troy stated awkwardly. He looked over at Gabriella, who was turning red, he realized she might get the wrong idea._

_"Are you going to introduce us, or just make me stand here uncomfortably, while your girl thinks that I'm your girlfriend, that just found out that you're cheating on me." _

_"Uh, okay. Taylor, this is Gabriella. Gabriella, this is one of my best friends, Taylor." Taylor stuck her hand out, and Gabriella politely shook it._

_"Nice to meet you." _

_"Yeah, you too." Gabriella sighed, getting rid of the lump that was forming in her throat and newly fluttering butterflies. _

_"Don't you have work?" Troy intervened. No doubt Taylor would shower Gabriella with questions that would be prying into her personal life. She's done that before, and has sent a few running, their sanity at their heels._

_"Don't worry, I won't ruin your date. You're going to tell me about it later." Taylor turned around, and walked away, as though nothing happened._

_"Don't mind her. She's just protective." Troy stated, unsure of how to explain Taylor._

_"I don't mind. She seems nice."_

_"Yeah, that she is." Troy took another bite. Gabriella had decided to ask Troy twenty questions, to get to know him better._

_"So, what's one of your hobby's besides basketball."_

_"Well, I golf. And, I'm kind of a video game nerd." He looked down, ashamed of playing childish games._

_"Interesting." Gabriella ripped a petite piece of the sandwich off, and tossed it into her mouth. "Where in the world would you most like to visit?"_

_"Fez."_

_"You want to go to Fez? What the hell is in Fez?"_

_"Many things."_

_"Alright" Gabriella replied skeptically. "__When was your last relationship and how long did it last?" She asked._

_"Almost a year ago, and it lasted a few months." He answered honestly._

_"And..uh...what was her name?" Gabriella asked quietly._

_"Lidia." He answered without thinking._

_"Huh," she practically mumbled. "So, what's the worst nightmare you've ever had?" She tilted her head, and smiled evilly._

_"Okay, so, I'm standing in the middle of the gym at East High School, you know, where I work? So, I'm, standing there and all of a sudden all these basketballs start falling from the ceiling, right? So, then I start screaming, and when I start screaming, baseballs are getting thrown at me. Then, I start running, and I'm halfway down the hallway before I realize that I'm completely naked. Then, all of my students are coming out of the lockers, and they're laughing. They're not only laughing, but they're all zombie like, and coming after me. _

_So, then, they start getting closer, and closer, until finally, one of them gets so close that he's like, grabbed my ear. Then, he actually pulls my ear off, and I scream, like one of those girl screams from horror movies, and I hold where my ear is supposed to be. I pull my hand away after feeling sticky stuff on my hand, and when I look at it, my entire hand is covered in strawberry jelly." Troy stops to take a bite of his sandwich, and a sip of his drink._

_"I mean, I absolutely hate strawberry jelly, almost as much as a vegan hates meat. It appears that zombie's are attracted to jelly, so then, they all went for my hand, and ate it off. And then I woke, screaming bloody murder. My neighbor had woken up by the loudness of my yell."_

_"Wow. That's some dream." She took a sip of her water._

_"It was." They stared into each others' eyes, seeing the humor fade away, and a different kind of emotion invade. Passion. The questions continued , some making him smile, and some making him shift in his seat._

_Gabriella was able to eat the entire meal without making a comment about the taste._

_ The staff that had made bets, all lost the game, for they thought Gabriella couldn't stand the meal. They were wrong. Only one was brave enough to admit it. "Oh my God! She actually ate it!" An older waiter said. _

_Gabriella stifled a giggle, while Troy sat there, laughing like he just saw a unicorn sit on Santa._

_"One day, I'm going to get you back for that. And, it's not going to be pretty." She threatened, as they got up to leave._

" He'll be fine, I promise." He watched her open her door, and wondered what was going to happen from there.

"Why don't you come in?" She grinned lightly and opened the door. She walked in, hoping Troy would follow. He did. They saw Sharpay sitting on Gabriella's couch, reading a gossip magazine.(It was Sharpay's, no doubt) She looked up as they ascended towards her.

"Hey. How was lunch?" Sharpay asked in a teasing tone.

"It was good. How is Zac?" Gabriella mocked Sharpay's voice.

"He was good." Sharpay looked over at the couple. She looked Troy up and down, looking for flaws. Troy started to get uncomfortable on the blond's stare, and shifted his weight between his feet. Gabriella felt his uneasiness.

"So, you should probably be getting back to work now." Gabriella subtly told her friend to leave. Sharpay looked at her like she had six arms and a tail. She wanted to stay and observe her best friend's new boyfriend. It's not like she's met the guy.

"Yeah, sure, but can I talk to you for a second?" Sharpay asked as she grabbed her pink coat and opened for the door, motioning for Gabriella to follow her.

"Sure." Gabriella said as she walked out of the apartment, but not without sneaking a glance at Troy, who was still standing there awkwardly. Gabriella shut the door, and turned to Sharpay.

"Why didn't tell me you were going on a date?" Sharpay asked feeling hurt.

"I just...I knew you were going to say something that would have blown the whole thing out of proportion." Gabriella tried to explain.

"You really think I would do that?"

"You have before. You would get all excited because it could be the relationship that would help me get over Ryan. You would say that this date means a lot, not only to me, but to Zac. You would have freaked me out, and unintentionally talked me out of the date. I really like him. I didn't want to be freaked out with Troy, so I lied. I'm sorry." She rationalized.

"Okay, just be sure to tell me the details later." Sharpay said, still a little upset. She smiled her forgiving smile, and said goodbye. Gabriella went back into the apartment and found Troy sitting on the couch, with Zac next to him.

"What does Troy mean?" Zac asked.

"It's a city in Turkey." Troy answered.

"Do you like the name Troy?"

"Yes."

"Would you rather be named Joe?"

"No."

"What about Fred?"

"No."

"Nick? or Sam?" Troy shook his head playfully, and he fidgeted some more. Zac sneered seeing Troy not annoyed by his current questioning. He wanted his mom and dad get back together, and he knew(even though he was five) that Troy and his mom were dating. Zac thought he could annoy the man away.

"What's going on in here?" Gabriella interrupted before Troy could answer a clever remark.

"I'm being interrogated." Troy answered.

"Huh. Get anything out of him?" Gabriella asked while she picked up Zac and brought him to the couch.

"Nope." Zac smiled uneasily.

"Maybe I should get going. I have work." Troy stood up, and walked toward the door.

"Yeah, okay." She walked after him. "I'll call you." They quickly kissed, and he walked out of the apartment.

"So, what do you think of him?" Gabriella sat back on the couch, and rested Zac on her lap.

"I don't know."

"Well, was he nice?" Zac shrugged his little shoulders, and looked away. Zac wanted to scare Troy away, rather than tell his mom he hated the man. He did think he was nice, but too nice. There had to be something wrong with him, Zac thought to himself.

"Alright, mister, did you have lunch?" He shook his head vigorously.

"Come on. I will make you something." She lifted him off her lap, and on the ground and walked into the kitchen, Zac tailgated behind.

* * * *

Gabriella got up the next morning, but it was especially early. Her apartment was filled with the scent of bacon. She got out of bed with curiosity, and walked to the kitchen, where the source of the smell was.

When she entered the kitchen, she saw a blond who was flipping pancakes and was singing a jazzy tune.

"Get out of my house before I call that cop with the really big mole." She said referring to the ex-wrestler cop they had living in the apartment next door. The person turned around and looked at Gabriella with a big smile.

"No need to do that. I just figured you were still kind of upset at me. I found the key under the mat, and let myself in." Gabriella sighed. I better change that hiding spot, she thought to herself.

"Ryan." She surly stated. "I thought I made it clear that you wouldn't be involved in my life. I have Troy now. I told you that once you run out of this family, you won't have a chance to do it again."

"Zac doesn't like Troy." Ryan smugly stated. He wasn't sure that was true, but wanted Gabriella to have doubt.

"Please. If he doesn't like Troy, Zac would tell me." She said, getting angry at Ryan for jumping to conclusions.

"No, he wouldn't have. Zac loves you too much to tell you the truth. He'd rather you be happy with some..some...pretty boy, than you be upset that you're alone. Although, he would prefer if we were together. I do. You're making a mistake dating this guy." Ryan said, stepping closer to Gabriella. He had been trying to kiss her since he had gotten back home. He figured, that if she would kiss him, she would remember the spark.

Gabriella stepped back, almost tripping over a chair. "Get out."

"What?"

"I said, get out. You will not come into my home, and tell me I'm making a mistake. Marrying you was a mistake. I can't believe what big ego you have. You think you can just come back, expecting me to welcome you back with open arms? No, that's not how it works. I can't have you just popping in and out of my sons life whenever you decide it's best. He needs someone that can be there for him for all times." She said, as she pointed to the door. "Now, get out."

Hurt, Ryan walked out of the apartment, and frowned. That wasn't how breakfast was supposed to go. Hopefully, Zac would be willing to talk to Gabriella for him.

Zac had listened in on most of their conversation. He hadn't liked what he heard. His mom was so resistant to letting Ryan back into her life, he had to prove that Troy wasn't better than Ryan. He just needed to think of a way.

So, maybe Zac barely remembered Ryan, but he remembered the good times they had. He had remembered all the happy moments that his family has had. But, he also remembers how hard Gabriella had it after Ryan left. It was rough, having only one parent, who had to pay the bills, buy the food, and take care of Zac. She was having trouble, and didn't think that she could handle it. Zac could always hear Gabriella crying, and seemed to think that if Ryan were to come back into their life, it would fix all of her problems.

So, the little tyke walked back into his room, and quietly closed the door, so he wouldn't perturb Gabriella any more than she was already. He lied down on his bed, and pulled the covers over himself. If he was going to get rid of Troy, he needed to do it creatively, not just using the "intentions" speech with him. In the mean time, Zac was going to evaluate Troy, and try to see if there were any secrets up this mans sleeve.

A/N- please review, it would make my day!!! I also hoped you liked the chapter! Next chapter will be up as soon as possible.


	6. She Doesn't Like Anybody

It's been weeks, and Troy and Gabriella were still together. Zac had tried many things to get rid of Troy, but Troy had thought that he was just being a kid. Zac also got mad, for obvious reasons. Troy never went away, and Zac started to run out of ideas.

Gabriella was currently pacing in front of the phone. She was deciding whether or not she should call a hotel for her parents. They had called earlier that morning, insisting that they come for Christmas. Gabriella hadn't talked to her parents since they found out that she and Ryan got a divorce. Before that, they hadn't spoken to each other at all. They hadn't liked Ryan at all, and made sure that Gabriella knew it. When they had found out about the divorce, they immediately jumped at the chance to get back into the lives of Gabriella and Zac.

Zac was trying to figure what his next trick would be. Troy didn't seem to be going anywhere, so he had to think bigger. He also knew that his grandparents were coming, so he didn't want to make it so large, that they notice it. He didn't want to ruin their time there, but he had make Troy go away.

"Knock, knock," An older Spanish woman called into the apartment. The door had been unlocked, and so the woman walked right in. She was short, with long black hair, tied into a ponytail. She wore a black cardigan with a light blue shirt underneath. She had a long black skirt on, and black flats. She came in the apartment with a huge smile on her face.

"Mom!" Gabriella ran over to the woman, and gave her a big hug. Gabriella let go, and looked around her mother. "Where's your luggage?"

"It's coming!" An older man yelled, as he struggled to get into the apartment. He had short, black hair, with spots of gray. He was wearing a tan suit, with a green sweater-vest underneath the jacket. He had a shy grin when he saw Gabriella. He also had a pained expression, having to carry such heavy luggage. He looked like Gabriella in slight ways, but he was by no means her father.

After he had set the luggage on the floor, he gave Gabriella a bear hug. She was shocked, and couldn't even respond. "It's so nice to finally meet you." He said after he let go, and let her breathe. "Your mom talks about you all the time."

"I can't say the same thing." She uttered in disbelief. "Who are you?"

"I thought you were going to tell her." He grumbled at the woman.

"Oh, Elton, I'm sorry. I didn't know how to tell her, and it never came up." She smiled apologetically, and turned to Gabriella.

"Gabriella," She gave a hesitant smile. "This is Elton, my fiancé." Gabriella's jaw fell open, and she was completely speechless. Her mother had gotten divorced to her father, and gotten married without telling her.

"Then, uh, I guess, nice to meet you." Gabriella said, leaving a later time to scold her mother. She held her hand out to shake his hand, but instead she pulled her in for another hug.

"Gramma!" Zac came sprinting up to the woman, and hugged her legs. She picked him up, and smiled at his soft expressions.

"Hello, Zac. Would you like to meet someone?" She asked. He vigorously nodded his head, and smiled. As long as he wasn't meeting another one of his mom's 'shady' boyfriends, he was happy as can be.

"Zac, this is Elton. Say hi." He waved his little hand, and smiled widely.

"Hello, Zac. It's nice to meet you." He patted Zac's head, and ruffled his hair. Gabriella felt like throwing up in her mouth, noticing his pleasing eyes. When Elton turned away, both mother and child crinkled their nose in disgust.

"So, are we staying here, or are we going to have to book a room?" Her mother asked, as she picked up one of her bags. (The least heavy one, obviously.)

"I wasn't sure. If you want to stay here, I'd have to ask Dad what he wants. I only have one extra room, and there are 3 of you. I might be able to put one of you on the floor in Zac's room, if he's alright with that." She looked over to the boy, who's now on the floor. He shook his head, disgust written on his face. Troy was bad, but Elton was even worse. The thought of that man sleeping on the floor (because that was what Gabriella was implying), was almost as bad as the man himself.

Her mom noticed his head shake, not the face he was making. "We can sleep in the same room, Gabriella." She glanced over at Elton, and smiled reassuringly.

"But, what about Dad?" She asked, bringing up her father again.

"Well, we could sleep in your room, he could sleep in your guest room, and you could sleep in Zac's room." Elton chipped in, thinking that his idea was great.

"I guess that's okay. I'll show you to my room, which you'll be staying in." She turned around, and started walking towards her room. "Unfortunately." She mumbled.

* * * *

After Maria, Gabriella's mom, and Elton settled in, the whole family got ready for dinner. Elton was stirring a pot of chili. Gabriella had offered to do it, but insisted saying that "It's a family recipe."

Zac was sitting in the living room, watching a recording of _Veggie Tales_. He loved that show, almost as much as he hated Troy.

Gabriella and Maria were unpacking Maria's suitcase, and talking about what happened between Maria and Robert.(Gabriella's father)

"I just don't understand what happened." Gabriella stated, folding a purple blouse.

"We just, grew apart."

"But, why?"

"Because, after you got married, and didn't contact us, there was nothing for us to talk about. We felt like we had lost a child, and that wasn't a good feeling. We couldn't connect. So, we split up." Maria picked up and shirt, and folded it more times than necessary.

"When did this happen?"

"We split maybe a year ago." She said, nonchalantly. Gabriella stopped folding, and looked at her mother.

"I just visited you a few months ago. You were together then." True, they had acted weird, but they seemed like they were still in love.

"Well, we lied. We had split up way before that, but didn't want to tell you. Actually, I had just started dating Elton then." Maria too stopped, and looked over at her upset daughter.

"Then, when did Elton propose?" Gabriella asked, pretending not to be upset about the breakup. It was taking all her strength not to break down and cry. Her parents had been together since five years before she was born. She had never seen more compatible people than them.

"Well, actually, I proposed to him. It was July, 24th. We were having a picnic in the town square, and it was just perfect. We had the best time there, and I thought, 'wow, this guy is great. When are you going to find someone better than him?'" Maria smiled, and put her hands on Gabriella's shoulders. "There was only one other man that I felt that way about. That was your father. But, I moved on. Someday, you're going to feel that way about someone." She smiled again, and took her hands off of Gabriella's shoulders. She looked around, and planted her eyes on the window, where she saw a spectacular view of Albuquerque.

Gabriella smiled, thinking about Troy. She had felt that way about him when they had their first date. She also had smiled because her mom had proposed this time. She could just picture Maria kneeling down on one knee, and popping the question. Obviously, she was just making a joke out of it, but it was kind of a joking situation.

"So, when is the wedding?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask you some things about that." Maria said, folding the last of her clothes.

"What things?" Gabriella sat down on her bed, and folded her legs.

"How would you like to be my maid of honor?" Gabriella gasped, stood up, and hugged her mother. As much as she would love for her mom and dad to be together again, Elton made her happy.

"I'll take that as a yes." Maria laughed. She was worried about Gabriella's reaction, knowing how much she adored the relationship that she and Robert had.

"Is everyone decent in here?" Elton opened the door, but his hand was covering his eyes. He moved one of his fingers, as if trying to take a look at them. Both the girls giggled, and he took his hand off his eyes. "Well, dinners ready."

They all left the room, and into the kitchen, where Zac was already sitting at the kitchen table. He was digging into the chili, not saying a word.

"It must be good." Gabriella said, noticing how much of it he was eating. Zac only nodded his head, and kept eating.

When they had eaten, nobody said anything. There were glances passed around, but no words. After they had eaten, Gabriella and Elton were cleaning the dishes while Maria and Zac played _Chutes and Ladders. _The doorbell rang in the middle of the game, and Maria got up to answer it.

"Hello?" Maria questioned, not recognizing the man.

"Is Gabriella here?" He smiled, inferring that she was Gabriella's mother.

"Gabriella!" Maria kept the door mildly open.

"Yeah?!" He heard her muffled yell from inside the house.

"You have a visitor!" Maria stepped back, and let her daughter step in front of her.

"Hey, Troy. What are you doing here?" She smiled, and quickly hugged him. She didn't want her mother knowing about her relationship just yet.

"I wanted to give you a Christmas gift, just in case we don't see each other the day of." He smiled, and pulled a wrapped box from his back.

"That's so sweet." She took the box from him. She heard her mother clear her throat behind her, and she turned around.

"Oh, uh, mom, this is Troy. Troy, this is my mom." Troy stuck his hand out, and Maria shook it. She smiled hesitantly at the man. This had been the first guy that she's dated since Ryan, and Maria didn't know if she liked the man.

"You didn't tell me your parents were coming." Troy smiled a winning, toothy smile.

"I didn't know until this morning." He nodded his head in agreement. His parents would do that too.

Why don't you come in, Troy?" Maria asked. She opened the door wider, and walked into the apartment. Gabriella rolled her eyes, took Troy's hand, and they walked into the apartment.

"Elton. Meet Troy. He's Gabriella's friend." Elton dried his hands on a towel, and walked up to shake Troy's hand.

"Zac, come say hi to Troy." Gabriella called to him, and he got up, and walked over to the group.

"Hey, buddy." Troy bent down, and patted Zac's arm. Zac tried to smile, but couldn't. There were too many weird men in his life to pretend to be happy.

They all walked over to the living room, and sat down in different places- Gabriella, Troy and Elton on the couch. Maria was on a rocking chair. Zac was on her lap.

"So, Troy, what do you do?" Elton asked, not interested, but needed a conversation starter between the family.

"I'm a basketball coach at East High."

"Good pay?"

"Elton!" Maria scolded, embarrassed at her fiancés antics.

"It's alright. Yes, it's a good pay. Good enough that I can have a place to live, food to eat, and clothes to wear. Plus some luxury items like cable TV." Everyone in the room smiled, except Zac because he fell asleep.

"And, do you like teaching basketball?"

"I love it. It was my dream as a teenager, but when I busted my knee in college, I couldn't go pro. So, I just teach it now." Troy smiled, thinking back to his high school and college days. The days were your girlfriend didn't have a son.(Sure, it happened once, but that didn't count)

"Wow. You wanted to be a basketball player. That's ambitious." Maria didn't like that he had ego, (or so she thought.)And she didn't like how happy he sounded when he mentioned that his dream didn't come true.

A wave of silence hit the adults. Nobody said anything, afraid that they could upset someone else.

"So, how did you two meet?" Maria inquired. She was interested in what the couple had in common for Maria thought they were complete opposites.

"Speed dating." Gabriella sighed, knowing what was coming next.

"Speed dating? Really? When do you go to speed dating?" She pointed her question at Gabriella, who started to shift uncomfortably in her seat.

"Sharpay made me go. You know, because I was over Ryan, but I didn't date. She made me go." Gabriella said, angrily.

"And who is Sharpay?" Maria had blocked out the entire Evans family, so naturally she would forget about Sharpay. Plus, Elton didn't know who she was.

"Sharpay Evans. You know, Ryan's twin sister." Gabriella saw Maria cringe at the name once again. Ryan wasn't nice to her because she wasn't nice to him.

"I didn't know they were twins." Troy interjected.

"Oh. Well, now you do." Damn her mother for asking who Sharpay was. Troy smiled weakly, not wanting to fight about her failure to tell all of the truth.

"And, so what are you guys, boyfriend and girlfriend?" Maria laughed bitterly. The thought of them together was funny, but disturbing. She thought her daughter had better taste in guys after the split of her and Ryan.

"Actually, yes, we are." Gabriella intertwined their fingers, and held them close to her. Now that her mother knew, she would have to defend herself, and his hand was something he could clutch. Like a teddy bear to a small child.

Gabriella saw disappointment wash over her mother. Maria didn't exactly like any guy that Gabriella dated, unless Maria picked him out herself. Elton noticed the sudden change in air, from awkward to even more awkward. He decided that he would try and make things pleasant, but before he could, Maria voiced her opinion.

"Well, that's just unacceptable." She stood up with Zac in her arms, and placed him back onto the chair.

"Maria, please." Elton pleaded, knowing his fiancés temper well.

"No, I can't just sit back and watch her life go down the drain, again." Gabriella lowered her head, and felt Troy's supportive squeeze.

"I love you sweetie, which is why I can't hold my tongue. This relationship isn't good. You're going to get your heart broken. You have to be smart with your relationships. Look what happened when you weren't. You have a bad relationship me and your father, and you have a five year old son. What does he think about this? Does he like Troy?" Gabriella and Troy stood up, also. Gabriella was infuriated, considering what Ryan had told her several months ago.

"Gabriella, please, just listen to me. This relationship isn't going anywhere. He's a school teacher for Pete's sake. That's not something you want in a man. He's proud of his failure. You met him speed dating that he went to himself." When Gabriella let go of Troy's hand, she went over to pick up her sleeping son. She brought him to his room, and closed the door, for she didn't want him to hear the fight if her woke up.

She walked back into the living room, and saw Elton trying to calm Maria down, while Troy was sitting on the couch Gabriella motioned for him to come into the kitchen with her. He got up from the couch, ignoring the yelling that was pointed at him, and walked into the kitchen.

"I am so sorry." Gabriella said, just as Troy walked into the room.

"It's alright." He tried assuring her, but she was set on making things right.

"No it's not. She was horrible to you. I can't, no wait; I can believe she did that. I don't believe what she believes."

"I said it's alright. I don't mind." Troy sat down on one of the kitchen chairs, and brought Gabriella onto his lap. "She's your mom. She just wants what's best." He brushed his hands through her hair.

"You are the best." She cupped his face in her hands. He smiled at her, leaned over, and kissed her gently.

"Your dad's doing a good job of calming her down."

"Oh, he's not my dad." Troy lifted one eyebrow, and she elaborated, "He's my mom's fiancé. I just met him and heard about him this morning."

"Wow. Some family." Troy muttered to himself. "So, where's your dad?"

"He hasn't showed up yet." The doorbell rang just as she finished talking. "That must be him." She hopped off Troy's lap, and walked to the front door. As she passed the living room, she saw her mom and Elton smiling and laughing. Troy slowly followed behind her.

She opened the door, to see her father. He was a slim man, and tall. He had short, dark brown hair that was gelled back. He was clad in a white t-shirt and blue jeans. Gabriella hugged the man, and stepped back into her apartment. He picked up his bags, and stepped into the apartment.

"I think I should probably be going." Troy kissed Gabriella's cheek. "I'll call you later." She nodded, and he left.

Laughter erupted from the living room, and Gabriella turned her head to see the cause of it. Robert walked into the apartment further, and a questioning gaze filling his features. "What is that?" He asked.

"Mom and Elton." Gabriella stated plainly.

"Mom and who?"

"El-ton." Confusion was laced in her voice. "You don't know who Elton is?"

"No, I don't." He said, walking further into the place, seeing his ex-wife and another man laughing at some joke he told.

"Who was at the door this time?" Her mom asked, not looking in their direction.

"Dad." Gabriella stated, stepping away to avoid the wrath of her parents and Elton. Her mother looked over to where they were standing, and frowned. She hadn't seen him since the day she left. She had yet to fill Gabriella in on the actual story.

"Maria." He used as a hello, and stepped forward towards the couple. "And you, must be Elton. Nice to meet you." He held out his hand, and Elton shook it.

"Yeah, it is." Elton flashed a real smile, while Robert held a tight line.

"So, Dad, you're going to be staying in the guest room. I'll show you where it is." He looked at her walk away, and followed her.

Once Robert was all settled in, he opted for a safe subject to talk about with his daughter. "So, where's my grandson?"

"He's sleeping in his room. You can say hi to him tomorrow. You can help him with decorating the tree. He would love it if you would." Gabriella smiled at memories of past Christmases. "While you do that, I can make cookies, and Mom can make her dreadful fruitcake." Both adults laughed, remembering the disgusting taste of a family tradition. No matter how many times they had told her, Maria kept making her fruitcake.

"Oh God, I hate that stuff. You don't think we can keep her from making it, do you?"

"Tomorrow's Christmas Eve. You couldn't stop her with a bull pushing and a lasso pulling her back. "

"Then I'm going to need a little bit more of a kick in my egg nog." They started walking towards the kitchen, where Gabriella was getting a bottle of water.

"Yeah, well. We're going to need some extra if we have to spend the entire holiday with _him_." She remarked, nodding her heads towards the living room where her mom and Elton continued laughing it up. Gabriella gave her father a water bottle as well, and they clinked the bottles together.

"Happy holidays." They both muttered, thinking the same thing. 'This is going to be a long Christmas.'

**A/N- sprry my updayes take forever! I should have been done before Christmas, but I failed. And now, I have to go back to school, where I won't have much time to write. Yeah, I kind of suck. I also posted this chapter before my editor had a chance to "fix" it, so I might repost this chapter later. Happy New Year, and I hope you had a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukkah, and Joyous Kwanza!** **And, I would also like it if somebody would review. I don't get much per chapter, and it would make going back to school a bittersweet experience!**


	7. Morning with the Montez family

Disclaimer- I do not own, although don't care to. Even if it made me rich.

The rest of the night passed by, and Gabriella was lying on Zac's floor, covered by _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle_ blankets that Zac had in his closet. All she could think about was her mom and Elton sleeping in her bed. At least, she hoped that all they were doing was sleeping. She felt her dinner rise to her throat, but swallowed it, not wanting to have to explain herself to her parents.

She stared up at the ceiling, thinking about all the boys she has ever dated. There was Scotty, (whose name was really Brian, but she called him Scotty) the shy-but-amusing Scottish sweetheart. Her mother hated him. She hated boys with accents. Then there was Vince, the rebel without a cause. Her mother hated him too. She hates troublemakers. (Every parent would, but she despised Vince more than she should) After that, there was Liam, the perfect-in-a-mother's-eyes boy. Her mother hated him. She claims that he was trying too hard. After Liam, was Ryan. She hated Ryan because he was too rich. (As if that's possible) And, Troy. She hated Troy. Why? Gabriella never got a real reason. All her mother said was that he had a bad job.

Zac's soft breathing let Gabriella fall to sleep. She woke up the next morning to the scent of waffles. She gradually opened her eyes to the bright sunshine coming in through the window. She sat up, but stopped midway when she felt a back pain. Cringing, she quietly mumbled, "Ugh." She unhurriedly got up, and limped her way to the kitchen. When she got there, she saw an unpleasant sight. Elton was pouring batter into the waffle maker, while whistling to himself. Her mother was standing next to him, holding Elton's hand, and swinging it back in forth as if she was a teenager.

Gabriella settled herself into a chair, and rested her head on the table. Maria turned her head to her daughter. She let go of Elton's hand, and walked over to Gabriella. She placed a hand on Gabriella's arm, and studied her face. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah," Gabriella took her head off the table, and lifted herself out of the chair. She winced, but stood up anyway. "I'm okay."

"What's wrong with your back?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." Gabriella insisted. She went over to the counter and picked up a bagel. She grabbed cream cheese from the fridge, grabbed a knife, and started to spread the cream cheese onto the bagel.

"You know, Elton is making breakfast." Maria walked back over to Elton and placed a kiss on his cheek. He smiled, but kept whistling. The sound made Gabriella cringe, although she did not say anything.

"Yeah, I know." Gabriella finished spreading the cream cheese, and put it away. She bit into the bagel, and smiled to herself. She heard her mother sigh, and ignored it. Sure, she was only not eating the waffles because Elton made them, but no need to fuss over it.

"Listen, I was thinking that maybe we could do some Christmas shopping today. I want to get something that Zac is going to love."

"He will love whatever you get him." Gabriella answered to her mother. Sure, the sound of sending an entire day shopping with her mother sounded great, but she knew that sometime during the day, they would come across a wedding shop. She knew that they would have to stop in, and look at all the wedding stuff that Gabriella hated.

"You know as well as I do, that is not true." Maria proclaimed. "I want to give him something he will _really_ love. Not just something he says he likes, but ends up throwing it away as soon as I leave." She walked over to Gabriella, and stood in front of her. Gabriella took another bite of her bagel.

She swallowed before saying, "Mom, I promise you, he will not throw away his present as soon as you leave." She flashed a smile, and dashed to her bedroom. She sat down on her bed, and placed her head in her hands. "Ugh!" She screamed. Gabriella knew that she was being silly, but she couldn't help it.

After she cooled down, she changed into some everyday clothes- a pair of jeans, a graphic t-shirt, and sneakers. She walked out of her bedroom and into Zac's room, to go wake him up.

"C'mon Zac. Get up." She walked over to him, and nudged him. Her made a gurgling noise, and rolled over. She ran her hands through his hair, looking at him lovingly. He rolled over again, and opened his eyes. She lazily smiled, and closed his eyes again.

"Zac, get up. Elton made you breakfast. And when you're done, we can decorate the tree." Zac's eyes shot open, and he rushed out of bed into the kitchen. He sat down at the table, and bounced up and down in his seat. Elton placed a waffle in front of him. He gorged the waffle in a matter of minutes, and smiled at Gabriella.

"Can I trim now? Please mommy?" He smiled his most innocent smile, and when he got the nod of approval, he headed into the living room where a giant pine tree stood, with ornaments sitting in boxes right next to it.

"Do you need some help?" Elton walked into the room, and picked up an ornament. Zac made a face, and looked at his mom with pleading eyes, telling her to do something before Zac does something bad.

"You know, Elton, this is something Zac likes to do on his own. Why don't you and mom go shopping around town. There are some great stores at the mall, and you could even stay out for lunch. Wouldn't that be nice?" Gabriella was enthusiastic about the idea of an afternoon without her mom and Elton. She would rather be with Zac and her dad.

"Alright, we will leave. Just let us change, and then we will get out of your hair." Elton placed the ornament back down into the box, and they walked to Gabriella's bedroom.

"Thank you, mommy." Zac smiled, sprinted to Gabriella, hugged her knees, then ran back over to the tree. She grinned at her unusual son.

A few minutes later, Maria and Elton appeared from their room, ready to go. "We'll be going now. Call if you need anything." They left the house, and Gabriella basked in the silence. She sipped her newly made cup of hot coffee, and smiled once more.

Her father stepped out of his room, and tiptoed to Gabriella. He whispered, "Hey."

"Good morning," She said in a normal tone.

"Is there any more coffee?" He was still whispering. Zac quietly giggled from where he was working, and shook his head.

"Yeah." He started to move, but Gabriella's voice stopped him. "Why are you whispering?"

"I don't Maria and Elton to hear me." He explained. Gabriella smirked, while Zac burst out into a fit of giggles.

"They left a few minutes ago." She explained, giving her father an incredulous look. He nodded with embarrassment, and walked into the kitchen to pour himself a pot of coffee. Gabriella shook her head, and looked back at Zac. He had placed all of the ornaments perfectly onto the tree, and was now admiring his handy work.

"Hey, mommy?" He started, while walking towards his mother.

"Yeah, sweetie?" She was afraid that he was going to ask a question that would be hard to answer, or make him a promise that she cant keep.

"Would it be alright of we invited Daddy to Christmas dinner?" He asked in his most innocent voice. Gabriella sighed.

"He might have other plans." Zac lowered his eyes to the ground, and crossed his arms. "But, we can ask him."

"Really?" Zac's face lit up like a Christmas tree. Gabriella sighed, and got off the couch. She picked up the phone, and dialed a number she thought she would never have to dial again.

"Hello?" A tired voice came from the other end. Ryan was sleeping in for the day, but the phone interrupted him.

"Hey. It's Gabriella."

"Oh." Ryan sat up, and rubbed his eyes.

"Did I wake you?" She asked, truly concerned. She remembered how Ryan was not at his best in the morning.

"No. Well, yeah, but it's okay."

"Alright. So, you know how Christmas is coming up soon, like tomorrow?" She asked.

"Yeah?"

"Well, Zac would really love it, if his father could come to Christmas dinner." She stated, looking over at Zac, who was now curled up into the fetal position, sleeping on the couch.

"Really?" He inquired, almost sure of where this conversation was going, but doubted himself.

"Yes. So I would appreciate it if you came."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"My parents are here could be a reason." She smirked a little bit. Ryan was afraid of her mother, and avoided anything to do with her as much as possible. There was silence for a few seconds, before Ryan responded.

"I'll be there."

"Really?"

"Yes. What time should I come?"

"Six, I guess. Are you sure?" She asked again, not understanding what was happening. Ryan was actually coming to see her parents, her _mother_, and on purpose.

"Yes, I'll be there. See you then." He hung up the phone, and stared at his hands for a few seconds. 'Did I really just agree to that?' he asked himself.

Gabriella also hung up the phone, and placed it on the coffee table. She slightly nudged Zac, and he awoke instantly. He sprinted into his room, and closed the door. "That boy is so weird sometimes." She shrugged it off, and walked into the kitchen where her father was reading the morning paper.

"Anything interesting?" He looked up from the sports section, and smiled.

"Oh, the usual. Marty the Magician was arrested. Larry the Library Trustee was murdered. Oh, and to top it all off, the world is going to hell."

A/N: Sorry it took so freaking long to post this. I have writers block issues. I apologize for the fluff, but fear not! The next chapter is drama bound! Yay! Now review please. It's appreciated very much.


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